German Ambassador on why he does not participate in trips to the liberated territories

Baku/30.03.21/ Turan: In recent days, a campaign of criticism has begun in the official media of Azerbaijan against the German ambassador to Baku, as well as Berlin's policy in general. The wave of criticism began after a number of media outlets reported that Ambassador Wolfgang Manig did not take part in the trips of foreign diplomats to the liberated territories.

Turan agency asked the German ambassador to comment on what was happening and answer two questions:

1) Why did not the ambassador participate in the trips of diplomats?

2) What is the current position of Germany on the situation around the Armenian-Azerbaijani conflict?

To the first question, the Ambassador said, “The decision whether, when and where the Ambassador or staff of the Embassy are travelling depends on the evaluation of all circumstances. The assessment balances the question whether a mission will add value to the performance of the Embassy as it is requested by the German Federal Foreign Office and whether a mission bears security or health risks.”

He answered the second question as follows: “In the last month, the policy of the federal government towards the South Caucasus region has been focused on stopping the escalation of the conflict between Azerbaijan and Armenia in and around Nagorno-Karabakh.

The objective of all activities of the Federal Government is to end hostilities and to start reconciliation among Azerbaijanis and Armenians. The Federal Minister of Foreign Affairs emphasized his personal engagement in his talks with his counterparts both in Azerbaijan and in Armenia. The German Embassies both in Baku and Yerevan are working in this direction – notwithstanding of trips to certain regions. The Federal Government continues the dialogue with Azerbaijan and Armenia in this regard – including in the frameworks of OSCE and EU. We encourage both parties to resume their talks under the auspices of the Co-Chairs of the OSCE Minsk Group for a sustainable solution of the conflict. -16B-